Apparatus for effecting circulation and maintaining clean surfaces in stills



A. DKSMITH.

APPARATUS FOR EFFECTING CIRCULATION AND MAINTAINING CLEAN SURFACES IN STILLS. APPLICATION FILED SEPT- I3, I919.

Lqgg gga Patented Jan. 17, 1922.,

In Venz'ar;

W 7 AHM UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR D. SMITH, OF ARKANSAS CITY, KANSAS.

APPARATUS FOR EFFECTIN G CIRCULATION AND MAINTAINING CLEAN SURFACES IN STILLS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 17, 1922.

Application filed September 13, 1919. Serial No. 323,500.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR D. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Arkansas City, in the county of Cowley and State of Kansas, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Apparatus for Effecting Circulation and Maintaining Clean Surfaces in Stills, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to stills for treating petroleum and the like. The principal object of this invention is by mechanical means to induce circulation of the liquid contents of the still in a continuous cyclic flow, thereby preventing to a great extent the deposi v tion of colloidal and suspended material, for

example finely divided carbon, on the inner,

shell surfaces. A further object of the invention is to provide means for the removal from such surfaces of any solid material actually deposited and cause same to be again propelled forward in the current of circulation.

The invention consists principally in means for positively circulating the contents of the still lengthwise and simultaneously sweeping the bottom portion of the still crosswise. The invention also consists in a rotating helicoid flight, extending lengthwise of the still, operating below the normal liquid level, suspended from and driven by a shaft preferably coincident with the center axis of the still, and extending through one end of the still to some external source of power. The invention further consists in drag chains or brushes looped from or otherwise secured .to the edges of'a rotatable helicoid and touching the shell surface so as to have a sweeping action. The invention further consists in a construction wherein the helicoid flight as a whole has an oscillating movement substantially parallel with the bottom portion of the still. The invention further consists in the arrangements and combinations of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing, wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts wherever they occur,

Fig. 1 is a vertical longitudinal section along the line 11 of Fig. 2 of a still equipped with my invention; and

Fig. 2 is a vertical cross section of the still on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

The still comprises a hollow shell 1, preferably of cylindrical or conical form, disposed with its longitudinal axis more or less nearly horizontal. This shell is mounted over a furnace 3 which communicates with a flue 4 and chimney 5. The still is provided with the usual man-neck 29 and vapor line 30. Inside of the shell and secured to the wall thereof are a series of supports for a horizontally disposed driving shaft 6. The drawing illustrates these supports in the form of angle irons 10 disposed crosswise of the shell and provided with bearing boxes 11 substantially at the center of curvature of the lower portion of the shell. The driving shaft 6 thus extends along the longitudinal axis of the still; and one end of said shaft extends through a stufling box 7 provided therefor on one end wall of the still shell and is externally supported by a bearing bracket 8' also provided therefor'on said end wall of the still shell. The projecting end of said shaft 6 is provided with a sprocket wheel 9 or other means of connection to a suitable source of power. Pivotally mounted on the main shaft are hangers or links 15 in the depending ends of which is journaled a propeller shaft 14 that is provided with a spiral or helicoidal vane 16 which reaches close to the lower surface of the still shell. In addition to the spiral vane, the propeller flight is provided with one or .more long.- tudinally extending drag chains 17 that are preferably secured to the marginal portion of said vane 16 at each turn thereof and droop enough to drag along the bottom of the still shell during the rotatlon of the propeller shaft.

The propeller shaft 14 1s adapted to rotate on its on own axis and at the same tlme to swing or oscillate about the driving shaft 6 from which it is suspended by the links 15. In order to effect rotation of said propeller shaft about its own ax s, it s provided with one or more pinions or gear .wheels 21 in position to mesh with a driving gear or gears 20 providedtherefor on the driving shaft 6. In order to effect a swinging movement of said propeller shaft about the driving shaft, said propeller shaft is shown in the drawings as being provided with a link or links 23 pivotally connected 2 thereto at one end and pivotally connected at the other end to a crank arm or arms 22 provided therefor on a crank shaft 12 parallel with the driving shaft, This crank shaft 1s mounted in journal boxes 13 provided therefor on the angle irons 10 or other suitable supports specially provided therefor, and is provided with a pinion or pinions 19 that intermesh with a gear or gears'l8 on the driving shaft. By this arrangement, the

crank shaft is rotated by the driving' shaft be varied from that shown in the drawings.

A cam shaft or other means may be used for securing oscillation of the propeller flight.

The portion of the construction hereinbefore described is in a way similar to that of the construction set forth in Letters Patent No. 1,239,423, granted to me September 4, 1917, and is as follows: Assuming the level of the liquid to be above the driving shaft, as indicated by the broken line 24, and assuming that the process is at the stage where circulation of the liquid contents is desired, the driving shaft 6 is set in motion. The motion of the driving shaft is transmitted from the gear 20 thereon and the gear 21 on the liquid propelling shaft 14 to bring about a rotation of the helicoid flight 16 with the result that the liquid in the lower portion of the still is propelled lengthwise, as indicated by the arrows. The endwise propulsion of the liquid in the bottom of the still brings about an upward flow at one end of the'still, a downward flow at the other end of the still and a flow in the upper portion of .the still in a 'reverse direction as compared with the direction of propulsion by the helicoid flight, as indicated by the arrows 25. As indicated by dotted lines, the still may be, and pref:

erably is, equipped with an inlet opening 2 in the bottom' near one-end and an outlet or discharge opening 2 in the bottom near the other end so as to permit more or less discharge of the liquid contents and the simultaneous replenishing thereof without stopping the cyclic circulation in the body of the still. Arrows 26 indicate the flow of the liquid through the inlet and dischar e openings.

forces the particles into the active current. The oscillatory movement of the propeller flight as a whole has the effect of giving the chains a much wider range for their sweeping action, so that practically the entire portion of the shell in contact with the liquid may be swept or only such portion thereof as may be determined by the devices that adjust the range of oscillation. Thus, the device not merely effects positive circulation but it also brings about a certain amount of agitation accompanied with a sweeping movement of wide range; so that the colloidal or sedimentary matters are to a large extent prevented from settling and are dislodged after settling and kept in a condition of suspension until the contents are removed from the still.

The size of the sprocket gears and other parts of the apparatus shown are only for the purpose of illustration and are in any case determined by the size and length of still and speed at which the apparatus is to be operated. The construction of the helicoidal flight is not limited to the form shown in Fig. 1, but may be for instance, a continuous coil of steel brushes fixed about a central shaft to obtain a helicoidal effect, in which case chains may be omitted if desirable. The amount of the sweep of the helicoid is determined by the position of the shaft 13 and may be varied by increasing the' lengths of the crank arms 22 and connecting rods 23 or by the substitution of eccentrics or cams. While it has been found desirable in a process such as is described in my Letters Patent No. 1,239,423 to limit sweeping action to the surface covered entirely by liquid, it is not intended to so limit the claims in this specification. It is obvious that numerous changes may be made without departing from the invention and I do not wish to be limited to the construction shown.

What I claim is: v

1. The combination with a still of means located in the lower portion of the still for eifecting circulation of the liquid contents longitudinally and means located in the lower portion of the'still for simultaneously sweeping the bottom portion of the still crosswise, said sweeping means being adapted to oscillate back and forth I in the liquid space of the still. 7

2. The combination with a still of means for effecting circulation of the liquid contents longitudinally and means for simultaneously sweeping the bottom portion of the still crosswise, said circulating means comprising a pivotally suspended rotary helicoidal flight disposed longitudinally in the lower portion of the still and means for rotating said flight and means for oscillating the same. p

, 3. The combination with a still of means for effecting circulation of the liquid contents longitudinally and means for simultaneously sweeping the bottom portion of the still crosswise, said circulating means comprising a pivotally suspended propeller flight disposed longitudinally in the lower portion of said still to oscillate substantially parallel with the lower surface thereof andmeans for rotating said flight and means for oscillating the same.

4. The combination with a still of means for effecting circulation of the liquid contents longitudinally and means for simultaneously sweeping the bottom portion of the still crosswise, said circulating means comprising a propeller flight disposed longitudinally in the lower portion of said still and pivotally mounted to oscillate substantially parallel with the lower surface thereof and provided with sweeping devices adapted to sweep the lower surface of said still and means for rotating said flight and means for oscillating the same.

5. The combination with a still of means for effecting circulation of the liquid contents longitudinally and means for simultaneously sweeping the bottom portion of the still crosswise, said circulating means comprising a propeller flight disposed longitudinally in the lower portion of said still and pivotally mounted to oscillate substantially parallel with the lower surface thereof and provided with drag chains drooped from the marginal portions of said flight and adapted to sweep the lower surface of said still and means for rotating said flight and means for oscillating the same.

6. The combination with a still comprising a horizontally disposed shell, of'an axially disposed driving shaft, a propeller flight pivotally suspended from said driving shaft and operatively connected thereto to be rotated thereby, and means for swinging said propeller flight bodily sidewise simultaneously with its rotation.

7. The combination with a still comprising a horizontally disposed shell, of an axially disposed driving shaft, a propeller flight pivotally suspended from said driving shaft and operatively connected thereto to be rotated thereby, and means for swinging said propeller flight bodily sidewise simultaneously with its rotation, said propeller flight having sweeping devices adapted to sweep the bottom portion of said shell.

8. The combination with a still comprising a horizontally disposed shell, of an axially disposed driving shaft, a propeller flight pivotally suspended from said driving shaft and operatively connected thereto to be rotated thereby, and means for swinging said propeller flight bodily sidewise simultaneously with its rotation, said means comprising a crank shaft operatively connected to said driving shaft and a link connecting said propeller flight and crank arm.

Signed at Arkansas City, Kansas, this 8th day of September, 1919.

ARTHUR D. SMITH. 

